As Walls Crumble
by Clair de SolCrazie
Summary: I wonder. Day in and day out, I wonder. Because, as helpless as I am, that is all I can do in such a meaningless world. Future/Human AU
1. Chapter 1

I pad my way barefoot to the old medicine cabin, my list tucked in my jean shorts and my shoulder-bag bouncing with my step. Today I was requested to get herbal tea for the elder travelers who have just recently checked in at the inn. I've only met one of them, tall with broad shoulders, and very strong for his age. He wore a suit, and he told me it was an old military uniform that has been passed down for ages. It was blue with gold buttons and epaulettes, with various medals attached to his chest, and I gawked and asked so many questions, like why he wore such an ancient and valuable thing, and how he preserved it's color and kept it together. His hair was a grayish white, long, and was wrapped in a blue ribbon to his back. He had a steady, blue-eyed gaze, nearly icy and if he chose to, he could terrify any being. The wrinkles on his face were not prominent, only so when he was frowning deeply, and his skin was tanned with the trophy of a long march across miles and miles of land.

His name was Frederick Wilhelm.

I liked the man, more than I would've thought, and so when the inn was asking for someone to do their errand, I volunteered happily, and although surprised, the inn seemed happy as well that I wanted to help them. So I now walk a grassy path towards the cabin in the meadow, by the towering woods, and just past that an even loftier strew of snowy mountains. And most would say that the view was enchanting, peaceful, and magical. I just thought that it was fake looking. Mountains without a single jagged tip on it's sides, every tree in the woods the same exact height, and the flowers in the meadow arranged by color and the amount of petals it carried.

The only thing truly beautiful was the medicine cabin. It was handmade, old and rickety, paint chipping off everywhere. It was imperfect, and that was what made it beautiful in this almost constantly perfect world. It had scars from the past and had it's own bookful of history, and I would usually go there to spend a night away from the people of this village. There was a shed full of books hidden in the back, where I usually read in peace. It was probably used as a library a long time ago, and from the red smudges between the floorboards and behind the wallpaper, I could only assume that the past government army had forced it to shut down, when they still had the authority and will to do so. But the battle turned in the librarian's favor, apparently, as the books remained, dusty and untouched.

They were full of history; the books I mean. Some were so thick that even a silver bullet shot by a sniper could not cut through it's pages. Well, I assume so, as I have yet to see what either a silver bullet or a sniper is. I've only read about them in the fictional books of the shed library, about woman finally being able to fight as snipers on the Soviet fronts. From what I've read, the Soviet Union was essentially Russia. I always shudder at the thought that the nice people of that country used to brutally murder people on the battlefields.

Of course, not in fear or disgust. I shiver in excitement, and I had pride for such people, people who made a difference and actually fought for the right cause instead of pretending that nothing was happening and not getting involved, insteading of going with everything that is happening like a bottle on the tides. A bottle locked with secrets and pleas for rescue. The bottle that I had read in a fantasy-like romance book of a young lady travelling across the ocean to rescue a soldier from an enemy camp. It was definitely like that. We were all bottles rolling in the sea, with barely a sailor that has enough curiousity to pick one of us up and open our contents to the world.

Of course, my wondering thoughts stop once I've reached the front door of the medicine cabin. I go inside and take the checklist out, reading it to myself as I go through the various shelves of dried leaves and flower petals and seeds, taking out only what I need. I take out a paper bag from my messenger sling-over and fill it with the ingredients, then pat it flat, rolled it, and put it back in. I paused to stare at the shelf at the far end of the cabin, contemplating whether or not I had time to push past through the hidden door and sneak a book back home, but I erase the thought, as today is checking day, and my little discovery could cause a lot more havoc than it would any other day.

However, as my feet hit the grass outside the cabin, the thought barrels back, more powerful and tempting than the last, and although I bite my lip to resist my urges, I turn around anyway and push the shelf out of my way.

* * *

I returned to the inn, handing the bartender the herbs so he could start making tea for the elders, and as I turn around the leave, I see Frederick walk in, greeting another man across the room with a simple wave and a proud smile. I wave a little as well, in what I suppose is a friendly enough greeting, and make my way towards the door. However, even though my hunched back and hair around my face indicated that I probably didn't want any company, Frederick takes hold of my forearm, and with a radiant smile that broke through my dark façade, he led me to a lively table, with many elderly men and women boasting about their pasts and wishing they had the energy to do those things once more.

I was awkward, sitting their with my hands over my lap, bag tucked in with my arms, head held down. I was trying to be polite and show my respect to them, however even I could tell that I looked like an embarrassed kitten with my ears held down in shame. Frederick patted me on the back hard enough to straighten it back up, and my head went up with it due to the surprise. A woman across from me chuckled, and I noticed that she seemed much more different from the rest of the elders. Elegant, even. I nod my head in greeting, and her smile grew.

"My name is Maria. But, if you wish, you could call me by the nickname everyone's given me. Duchess."

"Was that a joke or are you being mocked?"

Maria frowned as Frederick patted me on the back once more, hardy guffaw echoing on the walls.

"Boy, you know how to talk! First chance to talk with the others and that's the first thing that escapes that mouth of yours? Now, is that very polite?"

Honestly, I didn't understand why what I had said was so bad. Maybe it was an inside joke? Either way, it made me feel ashamed, so I was back to hunched shoulders and hanging head.

"Oh, dear, ignore Frederick. He can be such an idiot when the times calls for it." Maria pointedly glared at Frederick, her blue eyes seemingly dark with silent rage, and Frederick actually faltered, which surprised me. He didn't seem like the kind to falter by something as ridiculous as a glare.

"He hates woman," Maria continued. "He was joking about politeness. He was actually hoping you would probably say something more rude and awful."

Straightening my back once more, I quickly sent a surprised glance in Frederick's direction, before deciding it would be best not to linger on such a topic much longer. Especially when I caught sight of Frederick's strained grin.

"Earlier..."

I struggled to find something to say, and since I had already started, I let my mouth run off.

"You were all talking about your travels, correct?"

I had hoped my change in topic wouldn't have been too obvious, but sadly, I caught a few questioning eyebrows. I don't talk with many people often, so I shouldn't have expected as much. However, Maria seemed nice enough to go along with it.

"Well, we were talking about our times on the snow."

I gave her a questioning and curious glance, intrigued by what she had said. If it was true, that meant that she had climbed the mountains. There are no other places with snow, even if they had such in the past.

"Don't get the wrong idea," she said in amusement. "We climbed no mountains. Those are simply brutal. We crossed snowy plains and swirling blizzards, much more than brutal. They were unreasonably torturous."

"Death lurking in the reflection of ice..." Frederick had joined in, a sort of misty coat swirling around his irises. "You could see yourself on that ice, no matter the amount of snow, and it was sickening. Red crusted eyes, blue and black lips, red nose and ears, tears streaking down your face and freezing at the tip of your chin. Yes, it was more than brutal, and much more than torturous."

I stared, awestricken by his words, and my lips mouthed breathlessly and unconsciously.

"Does a place like that really exist?"

It took me a second to process what I had actually said, and I had not a second to move afterwards as Frederick was looking at me darkly, a strange, expecting smile gracing his features.

"Boy, don't let that adventurous attitude get you into too much trouble."

Then I realize that not only had I asked such a question, but I asked in way that was purely out of my strong curiosity. A way that showed how I wanted to be there, experiencing such challenges, facing the hardships. I didn't want a peaceful life.

I excuse myself from the table as politely as I could muster, pacing out of the inn, and as soon as my heel hit the cobblestone pavement outside, I dashed towards the opposite side of town, heading to the nearly barren fields, where nothing grew other than miles and miles of grass. I ran into the middle of the field, and stretched my limbs, falling into the cushion of green grass blades, and I stared up into the sky, looked at the old, mysterious, crystal pillars, and wondered.

Every time I realize something about myself, I run away into the field and wonder. Because here, no one can stop me, interrupt me, scold me, or anything of the sorts. My thoughts were free, and I basked in such a privilege. So I wondered. Where was my life heading now? What have I done? Will I regret what I will do?

I stayed like that for an hour. Or maybe two, but who counted? It didn't matter much. Either way, I sat up, covered in brown and green, body too relaxed and sluggish, hair mussed, and I was half-asleep. Despite all this, I force myself onto my feet, wobbling right to left and left to right, rolling my sleeping wrists. I then pad my way back, with nothing on my mind. That is, until I make it to my house. A notice was on it.

I had missed checking day. And now I was to report to the town council at 9:00. I reach for my bag to check the time, and that's when I realize that it's gone.

I left it at the inn.

Just my luck.

I turn around, feeling my muscles clench in stress once more, no longer relaxed, yet still sluggish all the same. I sigh, and with a hunched stance, tread my way towards the inn. Frederick might have found it.

Or maybe the checkers found it.

Oh lord, I hope they didn't.

* * *

**This story was actually going to be an original story, so I'm sorry if the characters are a little different than what you possibly expected them to be. Modifying their personalities would overall effect the story, so I kept with what I had. Also, no, I do not have fictionpress. I didn't want to bother making an account. Besides, I was too lazy to think of the characters' design. I like the Hetalia designs anyways.**


	2. Chapter 2

**I do not update this frequently. I just had a lot of time to finish this at school, since we didn't actually learn anything. And I had a sudden writing urge. Don't get your hopes up on my writing habits.**

**BTW, is it that weird to be able to wear glasses and headphones at the same time? I do it all the time, and I'm completely comfortable with it. Someone asked me today about it, like it was weird or something. Oh well, lucky me I guess?**

* * *

I stood staring at the double doors of the inn, eyes wandering from the golden knob to the green designs twisting and swirling over the wooden doors' surfaces. There were two things that could possibly happen. One, Frederick could have found my bag and kept it safe with him. Two, the checkers could have found it instead and decided to wait for whoever forgot it so they could apprehend me. I guess there's a third option, but it probably would have happened already. So I'm going to ignore that option and hope for the other two. Especially the first one.

I reached out for the knob, but before I could fully grasp it, the door was pulled back, making me stumble in. I hit someone, so I looked up to be met with frightening eyes that made my blood run cold. They were red as the roses in the meadow were, and they were always deep crimson with what I would think is blood. But I did not think blood, I simply thought of the roses.

I scramble backwards and trip, now sitting on the ground as I stare up at the man. I then noticed his hair, white as a wedding dress or the snow atop the mountains, and I assume I could compare him to a mountain, with snow on top, lava on the inside, and dirt on the outside, as his clothes were themed with earthy colors that did not really suit him. He looked like red or purple would suit him, but not brown or green. It just didn't fit.

"S-sorry," I chocked out, slowly getting up and dusting off my jeans. I give him another look-over, and noticed a beige bag slung over his shoulder. I assume I didn't notice before because it mixed with the rest of his clothes.

"That bag..."

As I look closer, I realize that it was mine.

"I left that here... I was looking for it. Would you mind giving it back?"

He looked at the bag, then back at me, and suddenly I felt very meek. I started shuffling in place, and he randomly started smiling at me in a very arrogant way that sort of pissed me off. He wordlessly lifted the bag off, holding it close to himself, yet still looking at me, as if daring me to come get it from him. Honestly, he really _was_ starting to piss me off.

I took a step or two closer, leaving enough space between me and him so that I could still reach out my arms freely, and I held out my hand, hoping that he would be so kind enough to give it back without an aggravating attitude. Thankfully, he did step forward, but he did not give it back. He simply held the bag over my hand, letting hover there. I realize that this is a challenge; a challenge to see which of us two is more stubborn than the other. It was a stupid, childish challenge, but I seemed to have fallen for it, so now there is no going back.

I made sure that my feet would stay planted in place, and I glared, not reaching my hand up, only daring him to let it go. His irritating smirk grew two times in size, and I literally wanted to slap it off. Seriously, my hand twitched in anticipation.

"Boy, you're different."

His wolfish, deep voice would have startled me, but as I said, I made sure that I would stay planted, even if something surprising was to happen.

"And this is coming from the person with crimson eyes and white hair. Release my bag. I have an appointment at nine."

His eyebrow raised. "Did a certain someone miss Checking day?"

"Yeah, well, I'm not cut out for it. You're lucky foreigners don't get checked. It's completely unnerving, and I hate having to deal with it..."

My eyes widened for a moment as I realized something. Foreigners don't get checked.

"Actually, keep the bag for now. I'll come back for it after nine! Bye!"

"Woah, what? Hey, wait!"

I ran off, a smile on my face, and I head home, knowing I have an extra key atop the door frame. I probably should have checked if he could stay until that time, but it's fine. I could care less if the bag is gone. I just didn't want the book to be found.

I enter my house, and I see that it was 8:21 on the clock hanging over my fireplace. I'm sure the council wouldn't mind me being early. In fact, I'm sure they would probably be pleased.

* * *

I stare at myself through the mirror, adjusting my white cravat to make it even on both sides. I decided with a simple yet formal look, as that is what usually pleases the council, as I had learned before. Most of my outfit was grey and white, my dress shirt and cravat being white, while my waistcoat, trousers, and loafers were grey. My hair was curly and slightly damp, and although I hate how my hair bounces when it's curly, I let it be, as I wanted to be there earlier than expected. Again, the council likes that.

Running a hand through my hair to slick it back, I skipped the gel and went with this look. It wasn't too formal, nor too casual, and it looked nice for any occasion. With confidence, I walk out the door with nothing in hand, as most of my everyday items were in the bag. Not that I really needed such items.

When I make it to the council house, I straighten my back and weave my fingers through my hair once more, just in case, then bang the door knocker loudly, not too slow and not too fast. The council doesn't like it to hear a hasty arrival, nor do they like a nervous, hesitant arrival.

"Come in."

I push the double doors open, using as much force as I could to make it move smoothly, and I stride in, head held high, but not to the point of looking mighty.

A council member raises a grey eyebrow, eyeing me up and down from over his glasses.

"You were not expected until 9:00. Is there a reason for your early arrival?"

"None in particular."

"Very well. You may sit down. Our discussion shall start."

There was no emotion in his voice nor face, but I had learned to read his movements, and I could tell he was pleased.

I sit down, as it was not an option. I had learned that the hard way. I fold my hands over my lap, not over the desk; that was considered rude, as if I would have been acting like I was in charge. No, my hands were folded atop my lap, and my legs were straight, together, and firmly planted in place. Not crossed, that was another sign of superiority that the council detests. I was careful with my movements, and I must be careful with my words as well. Keep it brief and polite, do not question them, do not mumble, no obnoxious loudness, and certainly no yelling for any reason whatsoever, no matter how angry or distressed you may be.

A council member passed a file to a woman with sharp features, no glasses, unlike most of the council, and much younger. She peers into the file, eyeing every word for a long period of time, making me wait longer just to make me feel intimidated.

"It says that this has been only one of the many countless times you've skipped Checking day."

"15, ma'am."

The council is usually impressed when you answer their questions before they ask. She didn't seem as impressed as the others.

"Did I ask you how many times you've skipped? Did I question you at all?"

"No, ma'am."

She didn't seem satisfied, but I remained silent, hoping that she would notice that it was my final answer.

"Hmph. Got quite a name for yourself, it seems. Some people do not even call you by your first name. Shadow, was it?"

"That is the name that they have given me, ma'am."

"What is your real name?"

I then notice where this is going, and I tensed immediately, not responding. They could not make me speak, it was against the law in this town. And so I took advantage of that right, unlike many, and remained silent.

"Pesky little vermin, aren't you?"

I was surprised for a moment, as I have not heard many people insult me so openly, however anger boiled quickly afterwords. I shouldn't have, but I glared, and she shrunk in a way that satisfied me too much for my own good. I held in a smirk, as I knew my evil reputation won't improve any more if I start acting like I was evil. Honestly, I don't think I can take much more of the silent ridicule that I have to deal with every day.

"My name holds no meaning to you. Give it up."

The council woman stood up and walked towards me, and I felt myself slowly tensing more and more with each step. Ghostly black shadows started flickering around me, yet she kept walking towards me. I became nervous, and I felt threatened, and now the shadows grew and grew, and my breathing quickened, and my mind rambled and rambled with the possibilities of what could happen any second. What _will_ happen any second, so long as she continues approaching me.

And as she reached her hand out, I chocked on my breath, and the lights in the council house went completely out, all at once.

For a moment, I thought it was me, but then I realized that the lightbulbs exploded, and electricity was still flowing through the wires powerfully.

I didn't do it.

I stand up quickly and take a step backwards, knocking over my chair. My eyes dart all around me, and I could see. I could see the council woman, confused and angry, and the rest of the council scrambling around like ants in the rain. I saw shadows darker than even the near blackness of the rest of the room, swirling around with their jaws open and laughing. And then I saw one shadow, with eyes that illuminated the room. Eyes that were dark, yet bright in contrast to everything else, moving in humanlike motions, unlike my other shadows, and slowly moving across the room, and I could clearly hear their footsteps against the marble floors. This shadow had legs, and arms, and a waist, and shoulders, and a head.

"Stop! You!"

The eyes didn't turn around, and their brightness stopped me from being able to see the rest of the person, so I ran after them. The moment my feet sprinted off the ground, so did the other, and the eyes exited the council house. When I escaped the house, the eyes were gone, and I frantically looked around, trying to catch the person who did whatever the hell they did to the lights, because there is something about them that just doesn't make sense to me. I need to know who did it.

I catch sight of an unusual brightness to the dim lights of the cobblestone streets, and I immediately run after it. It turned around, and all I could see then was the back of the accused's head, a dark red hood over their hair.

I finally am able to corner them into an alley, and by then I am gasping for air, as exercise was not my area of expertise. The hooded figure turns around, and my breath hitches, because up close, I can imagine the dark colored roses from the meadow, and I could practically see that arrogant smirk floating around in my mind.

"You..."

The hooded figure turned around, then jumped onto a trashcan, latched onto a clothing line, then jumped atop a roof, and vanished in a matter of seconds.

On the ground was a beige sling-over.


	3. Chapter 3

**In case you don't know, our main character hasn't told anyone his name. Not even Frederick. **

* * *

I crouched down, pick up the bag, and open it, and everything is there, even the book, and I feel something strange. In fact, it seems unsettling to me that absolutely nothing was taken out of my bag, that all that had happened, and that I still don't know who this person is or why they are doing this. Well, I suppose I do know this person, but not really. I just know that they're a stubborn man with no sense of maturity, with what I assume is an ego the size of their head.

Okay, now I'm just making up a very infuriating personality for them, but can you blame me?

With a sigh, I get up, ready to exit the alleyway. I don't have any intention of going back to the council house. They're probably waiting there for me to explain what happened, but as I have no clear explanation, and I don't appreciate being accused for something I did not do, I decided that going home was the most comforting option. At least I could get enough silence in my house.

It's a quiet walk back to my house. The lamplights are dim as the flames were small, not nearly as big as the ones in the cities. I walked slower than usual, as the sound of my shoes against the pavement startled me, as if it would alert unwanted attention, and I trust my guts, since it was usually right.

Of course, my guts were proven right.

I was going through an alley that I usually took as a short-cut, when the alarms started flashing red and green and blue, blinking furiously that forced me to close my eyes, as the irritation was something I was unable to handle, and the council probably knew that and used it to their advantage. Annoyed, I ran, already so used to darkness that even the faintest sounds were able to guide me through the route that I had long since memorized. Darkness was something I lived with everyday, and I had learned to be able to see with my eyes closed. With the click of my tongue, or a faint breeze, my surroundings were outlined right over the back of my eyelids in bright purple, and I could see the houses, the lamplights, the dogs barking behind an unsteady fence, and my house, not too far ahead of me.

When I had finally reached it, I unlocked the door and only opened it a crack, clicking my tongue, visualizing everything in my house. There was nothing out of the ordinary, and it was safe to assume that the council had not gotten their permission from the global government. If they had, there would have been soldiers lined up the front of my door, not that they were really experienced, as it would have been a rare moment in time for them to actually fight someone, a teenage shadow-boy no less. Of course, that would not change the fact that they were undoubtedly stronger than me, as they actually went through training.

Once inside my house, I opened my eyes, letting them adjust. It wasn't hard, it barely had any light flowing through the room. I hadn't turned on the lights. I wouldn't need one until I read my book.

I walked into my room, and since I know I won't be able to leave for a long time, and I knew that the global government would not give permission to the council, as they have no injuries and therefore have no reason to enter my household against my will, I thought that maybe it would be best to relax and wait for the outcome of this all. I climbed into my bed and kicked off my shoes, not bothering with any of my other garments, and searched through my drawer for a book-light, or, that's what I like to call it, since it's really just like a flashlight that I had read about, but miniature, with a strap to attach to the wrist. It had a charger as well, but there was no outlets in the town structures, so I usually charged it at the cabin, since it still gets power from an abandoned felicity that was ran underground. It was called a power plant above ground, but I don't know the name for the underground ones.

I opened up my bag and took out the book, turning on the book-light and clenching it between my teeth as I ran a hand over it's velvety claret cover, tracing my finger over the curly golden letters printed over. It read; The History of Souls. It was a book that I had stared at, but was afraid, as it had splotches of blood rimming the old, yellowing pages, and it terrified me to think that it may have been the real reason the library had been shut down. There was many illogical things with that theory, though, as why the book was left there in the first place if it was the reason, and why they would have let the library continue a while longer in the first place.

I flipped over the cover, reading the names of the previous owners in the book, skimming them, one, using them as a distraction from the marching footsteps outside, lining up in rows all around my house, crouching down and cocking their weapons, pretending like they were used to this. Distractions. It's all I need to feel at peace.

With that in mind, I flip to the next page, being greeted by a beautiful, glossy picture, it's color quite preserved compared to the other yellowing pages. The picture was of whips of cloudy colors, small shapes and symbols unique to each colorful storm, every storm shaping itself in some sort of emotion. I admired the beauty of the picture, and I ran my thumb over the bottom of it, noticing that the clouds were blowing away from the bottom of the painting, and towards the bottom they all faded into white. Towards the top, however, the colors darkened and darkened until they all went black. It confused me, and I contemplated the meaning for a moment more, wondering as usual, until I finally decided that if I wanted to understand it's meaning, I would have to read the book.

I flipped past the table of contents and start at page one.

_ Every human being has a soul. Every soul traces it's existence towards a factor of life. Every main factor other than darkness produces souls and sends them off to a human being on earth as they are born. The six main factors of life are the four elements; fire, water, air, and terra, with an added two factors; light, and darkness._

I knitted my eyebrows together, slowly processing this new information. So the powers today that human beings have are us coming in contact with the source of our soul? And if so, then I must have been born from darkness. But then, wouldn't that mean that the book is wrong?

No. That would mean that the book had used facts that were believed true at the time. And I don't blame author. Even now, I am the only known being to be able to control darkness. Or, somewhat control it, that is. It tends to control itself at times, and I am unable to stop that, no matter how hard I train at taming it.

Sighing, I continue to read.

_The most common source to souls is light._

Well, no kidding.

_Light, a long time ago, was considered the more dominant and superior factor due to it's fast reproduction and vast population._

Haha, very funny. It still is.

_However, today it is shown that light is, in all actuality, the weakest factor of all. The strongest soul so far known in society is a man who spins his source from fire. He is from a long line of a family that all, coincidentally, are produced with souls from the fire factor. This is the famous family known as the Beilschmidt family. There is a rumor that there is only one male in the family every 100 or so years that it born with a different factor._

As I continued reading, something in my room tipped over.

With my heart suddenly beating very quickly, I rushed to hide the book and turn off the book-light. Closing my eyes, I clicked my tongue, listening to the noise bouncing back. There was no movement in the room. I reopened my eyes, eyeing everything, looking, as my eyes quickly adjusted to the dark setting.

"Who's there?"

By this time, I was fairly certain it wasn't the government. They were still outside, waiting for me to stupidly exit the building. No, there was no soldier inside my house. They were only outside, ready too apprehend me.

It's then that I catch sight of the glowing, crimson orbs, and I suck in a breath, my blood running cold, and I shiver as I stare at those orbs, them staring right back. I choke, trying to find words of some sort, to question or comment about anything, and what came out sounded like a sloppy mess of syllables, and it was quite embarrassing.

"Thanks... For, you know, the bag. Thanks for giving it back, I mean."

It was awkward for a moment, and I decided I liked it better this way, staring at him, waiting for his response, rather than staring at each other, both of us unable to come up with anything to say.

There was the sound of fingers snapping, and a dim light had brightened up a small portion of the room, stretching far enough for the other's face to be visible. At first, I had thought it was a white light illuminating the room, but a second afterwards I realized that, no, this was most certainly not a simple white light. It had a temperature, and it wasn't completely controlled. The other's breath moved it about, and I knew it was a flame. And yet, there was no candle. The only thing keeping the fire up was the other's index finger.

He climbed up unto the bed, and when I attempted to scoot away, pushing the pillow back, he grabbed one of my legs and dragged me towards him, resting me atop his lap.

"I'm Gilbert."

I stared at him for a moment, studying his features, eying the dark circles under his eyes that I had not taken noticed before. He was not smiling like he had before; If anything, his expression was emotionless and unreadable. All I could tell was that he was studying me as well, and I felt terrified all of a sudden.

"I'm Shadow."

"No. No, you're not. You're no one's shadow. You're-" His voice cracked, and he paused to regain himself. "You're real... You're a _someone_."

A shiver ran down my spine, and my hands went up to grab my arms, protective all of a sudden, and I gulped down a shaking lump in my throat. His voice wasn't meant to comfort me at all. It was almost like he was telling himself that. Like he couldn't believe that I was a real thing. That I was living, and breathing, and existing.

Feeling light-headed, I rested my head against his shoulder.

"You... Who are you? What do you want from me? I'm no one special."

"You're very special."

He didn't elaborate. He simply sat where he was, holding the flame to his side, letting me have a good look at it.

"How do you know that?"

"Did that book not explain?"

My head shot up, and I felt the flame barely graze by my cheek.

"You went through my bag?"

"You were the one acting suspicious. You deliberately left the bag with me after you realized that they wouldn't check me. It sounded like you were hiding something."

And I had to admit, I did act quite suspicious.

"Why were you at the council house? And were you the one who broke all the lightbulbs? If so, you better take responsibility. Sooner or later the government is going to let them jail me, and you just raised the likeliness of that very high."

"I still thought there was something suspicious about you. I went to see if there was anything out of the ordinary." Gilbert took in a deep breath, his memory seemingly tracing back to that point of time. "Darkness was just... There were people. But there weren't. They were... They were dark clouds of shadow people. And they all just started blanching off of you."

"Is that what you meant by special? If so, there is nothing special about that."

"There _is_." There was so much firmness in his voice that I didn't dare disagree. He opened his mouth, but shut it again, thinking over his words carefully, and he settled with hanging his head down low, resting it against my chest.

"You have no idea how long I've been searching for you."

I stiffened, frozen in a confused world where I couldn't figure out how to act. Instead of moving to pat his head or push him away, sat still, and before I realized it, my lips were moving, leaking out what I thought I'd never say to someone.

"I'm Roderich."


	4. Chapter 4

Time had passed, and Gilbert had chosen to sift through my belongings. He wandered in and out of the room, adjusting his flame every so often to get a good look at the objects scattered around. He opened a trunk at the foot of my bed– heaven knows how since it was locked– and opened my files, searching through them, eying every word he saw.

"You know," he began, shutting the trunk and now walking towards my closet. "There is a few things in here I suggest you pack up. A few changes of clothes, your book, and any other books if you have any, and some of the medicine you have in the kitchen-"

"Why?"

He stopped shuffling through my clothes for a second to give me a sideways glance, but he continued after, not saying anything.

"God damnit, you broke into my house and got me accused for something that _you_ did! I think I deserve to know what you're plotting-"

"You're moving out of here. And you're moving 6:30 AM sharp in the morning. Pack what you want and need. It's 10:22, and I suggest you get packed before midnight. Where we're going, you're going to need more sleep than I do."

I glared, slowly rising from the bed. He continued to look through my clothes, acting like he hadn't said anything, like he couldn't see me walking up to him, like he couldn't feel me grip his shoulder as tightly as I possibly could.

"I'm not going anywhere unless you tell me where the hell I am going."

"I may have to use force."

"Who says I won't struggle?"

"My rope and my gag."

I punched his shoulder.

"Like hell I'm going to let you tie me up! Just tell me where I'm going!"

He slammed the closet shut and gripped my shoulders, forcing me against the wall. His grip was definitely stronger than mine, and I shivered, suddenly terrified of this man's overwhelming strength.

"I can't..." He seemed to be struggling from the inside, and he bit his lip, eyes casted down as he fought over what to say. "I just- I can't. Okay? I just can't. Not yet. Not here." He shook his head, leaning forward. "Please, just... We- I!... I need you..."

I was confused, and I rested a hand on one of his arms. He looked at me, and I sighed, seeing the desperation in his eyes. I couldn't possibly say no, now.

"Fine... But there better not be any blood or tragedy on the journey, alright? I hate that mushy crap."

He lightened up like fireworks, almost how a kid would when gifted a Birthday present, and went on his way to going through my stuff again. Now he was crouched down, hand nudging under my bed, where I kept all the treasure I'd find in the meadow, around the medicine cabin.

"Hey, where do you find these," he began, inspecting my small container full of gems. "These... these things?"

"They're gems." I chuckled and crouched down with him. "And they are usually meant to be underground. A long time ago, people would dig underground and create man-made caves called mines, and these mines were meant for workers to dig out all kinds of pretty things and good material. They're not common now. Now we usually just recycle broken tools into new ones."

I took the container and opened it.

"These gems are a special collection of mine. They're birthstones, or, at least that's what my readings have informed me. My birthstone is..." Fingering through the jar, I gently took out a multi-colored, bright gem, handing it to Gilbert to inspect. "This one is called opal. It's really classified as a mineraloid, but my book was really old, so it probably wasn't a hundred percent correct."

Gilbert rolled it around in his palm, rubbed it between his fingers, getting a feel of it. "Are you taking this with you?"

"I don't really need it," I said, taking it back and closing it within the jar. "Gems aren't really useful. They're just pretty. Well, they're not useful when they're so small. But if they were bigger, they would make good material for weapons and tools. Small ones are just meant for jewelry, really."

"Keep it. Take it with us."

I looked at him questioningly, but nevertheless went to get my backpack and sling-over, taking the jar with me.

"Is the reason to this whole kidnapping thing is that I know where all this old junk is? And that I can do... Whatever the hell all that darkness is?"

"Well, I can't really tell you much yet, but that's the general idea." Gilbert was then shuffling through small discs, holding the flame close to it. "And it's not kidnapping if you're coming willingly."

"Technically, you threatened me, which means I had no choice to begin with. This is kidnapping. It's just being carried out a lot more calmly than most. Hey!" I slapped his searing hand away from the disc. "Stop it, you'll melt it."

He silently obeyed, putting the disk down and moving on to the candles. I humphed in satisfaction over getting him to obey, and stuffed the jar into the backpack.

As I began packing clothes, I looked over my shoulder to see what he could be nosing through every once and a while, and I would explain to him what was there and what wasn't true, and what I had read and what I believed to be false. His curiosity perplexed me to no end, and I wondered; Where have I seen this before?

* * *

When 6:30 came along, I had been shaken awake by big hands, ones that reminded me of something I couldn't quite put my finger on. However, it all came back to me, and I looked up, expecting Gilbert to be the one ruining my slumber, but I jumped back into the headboard when I discovered that no, it was not Gilbert. It was Frederick. And Gilbert was right behind him, carrying bags full of things that I was sure I hadn't packed. In fact, I was sure I didn't pack more than one backpack.

"Rise and shine, kiddo. We're moving out now."

I stared at Frederick, feeling betrayed, and I kicked off my duvet, gripped my temples, and hunched over the edge of my bed.

"Get out... Just- Ugh! Let me take a quick shower, put some clothes on, and we'll go, okay?"

Frederick seemed surprised by my tone of voice, and he gave a mean glare to Gilbert, who shrunk back in embarrassment. They turned around to leave, and before Frederick closed the door, he took a quick glance at me, and it definitely did not go unnoticed.

Stretching my limbs, I went to look out the curtains, noticing that it was still dark outside, and I had to remind myself that it was winter, which is hard to ever cope for me, since it's always summer or spring. Winter here is nothing like it is in my books.

I decided I best be hurrying up, and I took my quick shower and put on some white shorts and a red t-shirt. When I went out of the room, Gilbert looked at me up and down, and the same arrogant smirk from the first time we met came along. I glared at him, suddenly feeling hatred boil up in my core.

"Frederick, who exactly is the imbecile and why is he with you? He clearly isn't related to you."

"Look here, pal," Gilbert poked my chest. "If you have a problem with me having white hair and red eyes, well you've got another-"

"What the hell are you talking about? I didn't say shit about your hair or eyes. I couldn't possibly care less about how you look! It's your damn inconsistent attitude!"

Gilbert stepped back, seemingly confused for a moment, before he backed off behind Frederick, who was apparently smiling throughout the whole conversation.

"I see you two get along."

"Like hell I get along with my kidnapper."

"Kidnapper?" Frederick looked puzzled, then he went to glare at Gilbert. "You didn't tell him shit, did you?"

"Wha!" Gilbert seemed very offended. "Woah woah woah, Duchess said I _wasn't_ supposed to say anything! Why are you getting mad-"

"Why the hell did you listen to _Duchess_?!"

"Hey! I'm supposed to listen to my elders!"

I was now broiling in disgust, looking between Frederick and Gilbert as they argued stupidly, talking about people that I, in the past few days, thought I could trust.

"So let me get this straight," I said, interrupting their conversation quite easily. "You're telling me that the only people I trust— the innkeeper, the elder travelers, and the waiter at the local Spanish restaurant— they're _all_ in on this?!"

Frederick paused, seemingly realizing something, and sighed. "Roderich, we aren't trying to kidnap you. We just need your help. You can return to your normal life after-"

"Don't lie to me. Don't you _dare_ think you can lie to me."

I rubbed my temples.

"Don't say that mushy shit about everyone having a happy ending, I don't want to hear those false stories that all these lights talk about all the time. It's unrealistic. It doesn't happen— _shouldn't_ happen. It's unnatural, and you know that."

I take in a deep breath, calming my nerves. Now controlled, I look at Gilbert, then to Frederick, and back to Gilbert, deciding that he probably wouldn't lie to me like I was a guy younger and more innocent than himself.

"So don't lie to me. Give me the straight up truth. What is going to happen?"

Gilbert immediately opened his mouth to reply, but Frederick blocked his mouth, shaking his head.

"Listen here, Shadow. There is a time and place for everything, and right now, it's not the time or place for us to talk about this. You must remember that we are in the middle of town, and now that they have valid reason, they might have already set up cameras, and those cameras might be recording everything we are saying. The guards wouldn't be awake right now, but they will later, so we need to leave as soon as possible."

"They couldn't possibly have set up cameras with me _and Gilbert_ in the hou-"

"Don't underestimate them," Gilbert said, biting his lip, possibly trying to contain anything that could give me some clue about what this is all about. "Don't underestimate their technology. It's more advanced than you believe."

I gave him a funny look, but decided I should just forget about it for now.

"Fine. Let's go. But once we're out of here, I'm not letting either of you two to back out of anything I have to ask or say, got it?"

They both nodded, yet it didn't really seem trustworthy, so I continued to glare, as we walked outside, as we passed the restaurant and inn, as we walked through the meadow, as we entered the thick woods, and so on. I continued to glare daggers into the back of their heads, making sure of it that it was so dark that they would feel the holes I burned into them for weeks. Making sure that they could feel my anger and distrust and disgust.

And it wasn't that damn hard to be angry at them the whole way. They kept making sharp turns, apparent trying to 'throw the council off their trail,' and we went under tunnels and through holed trees, and I was sure that I had no idea where we came from and where to get out is anymore.

God forbid I kill them before we get out.

* * *

**So, yeah. This took longer because I had to sort out some things in my life. My dog is sick, my mum quit her job since her boss was an ass to her just because she was literally one minute late, and my dad is telling me that we are going to move. Again. To the OC. Orange County. Oh thank goodness, it's so much nicer there than it is here. Oh, did I mention I'm falling in love with more techno music? I think today's society is polluting my Vera Lynn and Cab Calloway heart.**


	5. Chapter 5

**This feels like a filler chapter, so I'm going to call it that. There's just not that much that happens here. :/ New character, Roddy's favoritism and chiz, but not much. Oh, and stubborn!sarcastic!Roddy. Hehe. I miss writing him like this. If I've written him like this. I don't actually remember. I'll have to check my old account later.**

* * *

The woods were eerie.

Well, eerie in the sense that it didn't feel like we were actually in the woods. In a sense that everything around us was surreal, where the ground was flat as concrete in the town, and the rocks were polished and clean, while towering trees, all the exact measure in hight, shadowed the yellow rays of the morning sun and rainbow beams from the crystal pillars that penetrated the clouds from our heads.

And the shadows of the trees unsettled me.

"Just follow us, Roderich. Ignore everything else."

"Shut up," I snapped, glaring daggers at Gilbert. "You try ignoring something you can constantly see. Because these _things_ follow me around everywhere!"

I heard the faint sound of distant whimpering, and I'm sure the shadows got the picture.

An awkward silence followed, with me still glaring at the two heads in front of me, and I continued to glare harder and harder when I noticed that I probably looked like a baby chick following these two. The image of it got more clear and began to move as we went, and I ended up with a full animation of me with yellow feathers following a white chicken and a grey chicken. At that point my looks could actually kill someone, possibly.

"So..." Frederick coughed into his fist, apparently trying to make friendly talk with me. "You're name is Roderich, is it?"

"I don't remember ever telling you that you could use it," I said, and I made sure to pointedly stare at him when he looked over his shoulder in disdain, just to show off my mean glare.

Gilbert laughed, however, and punched Frederick lightly on the shoulder. "Look at that Frederick! Maybe we do get along! He let me use it earlier!"

Frederick punched Gilbert back, but rougher, glowering down at him. "And he also told you to be quiet earlier. I have to agree with him. Shut up, Gilbert."

Gilbert whined, but did not say anything more. He crossed his arms and went to walk ahead of us. I think there was small, barely noticeable flames at the end of a few tufts of his hair, and that sort of interested me, but I continued to be firm with my eye-daggers. No interest. No kindness. Even if the facial expression was starting to hurt.

"We aren't trying to kidnap you, you know."

I ignored him, and he sighed.

"Listen, I don't know what Gilbert did to make you feel betrayed by this, but please forget it. The boy got orders from a woman who doesn't understand the emotions of someone like you. The reason she's called Duchess is because she acts and thinks like one."

Frederick seemed annoyed, and although I couldn't see his face, I could tell he was giving a stern look towards Gilbert, and I suddenly felt bad for getting mad at the poor guy if he always had these two complete opposites bossing him around.

"Gilbert usually listens to Duchess even though he trusts me more. It annoys the hell out of me. Honestly, he should be more like his brother. That boy needs some discipline once and a while."

We made another sharp turn, and I noticed that Frederick was purposely leaving Gilbert behind, as Gilbert didn't know we were supposed to turn yet. I dropped the glare for a second to look at Gilbert's back, then back at Frederick, and I felt conflicted. Almost as if I was lost in front of a forked road.

I decided that while Frederick rambled on about how mad he was at Gilbert, I'd join the other. It was better than listening to his angry spouts over a woman.

* * *

Gilbert had noticed at some point that I was the only person behind him, and he thought it would be better to walk beside me rather than in front of me. We didn't speak, however. And since I was no longer glaring, and Frederick was not struggling to make conversation with me, the trail seemed much more peaceful than eerie. It felt safe, now. And Gilbert seemed to notice it too, as he looked genuinely at ease, his hands tucked into his pockets and his shoulders rolled back, his overall aura relaxed in some way.

He glanced at me, and I looked away.

I suddenly felt embarrassed for noticing such details, and I quickly realized that I had been unconsciously staring at him as we went.

God, how utterly _embarrassing_.

"Why is it that you call yourself Shadow, by the way?"

His question was sudden, and I jumped when I heard him. I stayed planted in place for a moment, trying to process what he had asked me, then jogged to catch up to him.

"Well, I'm sure you can tell after what you saw at the council house."

"Not what I meant."

I knew that wasn't what he meant.

"No reason in particular."

Gilbert snorted; he obviously didn't believe that shit.

"Right, and the council doesn't know your real name for no reason in particular."

"Exactly."

He laughed, it soft and almost comforting to me. His behavior from before now strikes me as odd. In fact, his very being is odd. Mysterious, if I dare say. Like I never knew his true colors to begin with, and he never showed me a hint throughout the whole time we've been together.

Or, maybe he has. Maybe he's just that good of an actor to mix it in with everything else.

"So, this has been on my mind for a bit."

I refused to look back at him. He was probably showing some teasing smile, and I didn't want to see it.

Why?

...

No reason in particular.

"Why is it that you told me your name? I mean, it doesn't seem like you've ever told anyone it before. And you literally had just met me that day."

My next answer was predictable.

"No reason in particular."

"Are you just going to say that for every question I throw at you?"

I could sense his amusement, and I smiled along with it. He wasn't all that difficult to talk to now.

"Maybe."

"Oh, come on!"

I laughed, loudly and maybe a bit obnoxiously. I don't remember the last time I've had such a conversation, but it felt good to joke around with someone. The town is very serious, and I suppose I grew accustomed to it. Maybe I was a little serious myself, because of it.

"Why does the reason matter, anyway? Do you really need to question it?"

"Well, no. I guess not."

I glanced at him, and he was looking the other way, staring at some fixed point in his mind, but not in reality. His eyes didn't seem to notice the trees we were passing by. I raised an eyebrow, wondering what he could possibly be thinking about, but let it go. There was no need for me to know what's going on in his head. It was probably a lot to handle at once.

We were silent again, but this time I didn't feel like I was in the comforting company of someone else. This time it felt like Gilbert wasn't even beside me. He was off in another realm while I continued stuck to this one.

I heard a low mumble, and I turned towards Gilbert. "Did you say something?"

Gilbert immediately snapped from his daze, and I felt slightly guilty. He looked at me in confusion, then looked around us. "I didn't..." He scooted closer to me, moving me behind him. He seemed cautious. "I didn't say a thing."

I heard a mumble again, and Gilbert seemed to as well, as his head snapped in some direction, and his grip on me was suddenly hurtful. I was confused for a moment, before realizing that, in some way, I was technically a refugee, and I remembered that the council would be looking for me by now.

"...snowtop..."

Gilbert's grip loosened, and then he stared blankly at a bush not too far from us. He then smirked and walked over to the bush, crouching down and cupping his hands over his mouth.

"Caterpillar eyebrows."

"WANKER!"

A man with large, dark eyebrows and blonde hair shot up from the bush, and I jumped up and ran to Gilbert when I realized he was hit.

"Damn, Eyebrows, you still hit like a pirate!"

"And you still have the voice of a dog!"

The two glared at each other, and I was sat right next to Gilbert, looking between the two in slight confusion. They knew each other, and although they were doing their best to kill each other mentally, they didn't look like enemies to me. There was no tension in the air. Once again, my gut was telling me something. It was telling me that there is no threat. And I trust my gut.

"So, what's you're real name? And I'm assuming you and Gilbert are those kind of friends that constantly piss each other off and love every second of it, right?"

The man raised an eyebrow— and _wow_, they really _did_ look like caterpillars— and eyed me up and down. I turned towards Gilbert and noticed that he was doing the same thing.

"This is the kid we've been looking for?"

I turned towards the man with caterpillar eyebrows again, and his eyes haven't left me.

"Well, he seems to live up to the reputation we've given him. How'd you know we were friends, boy?"

"Don't call me '_boy_'," I snapped, standing up. "And it's not like it was very hard to figure out. I mean, really, you looked like two children fighting. There was no tension whatsoever! And you also implied that you already knew each other for quite some time."

Gilbert laughed and got up, brushing the dirt from his pants. "I honestly doubt you read that far into it," he said, smirking at me. "Just admit it; you had a feeling."

"Yes, sir. I will do as you demand," I said, sarcastically making a salut. "I had a feeling."

Eyebrows laughed and walked over to pat me hard on the back, making me take a few steps too close to Gilbert. I cringed and put out a hand to gently push him away.

"I like the kid! He's sarcastic _and_ rude to you! It's perfect!"

"Oh _shut up_, he's not rude to me! He's just plain sarcastic!"

I sighed in frustration, pinching the bridge of my nose as I tried to tune their voices out. I was honestly annoyed of people arguing because of some reason that had to do with me, whether it was jokingly or not.

"Can we just get out of here and go where we're supposed to go?"

I seemed to have interrupted a deep conversation of theirs, as both of them snapped up as if they had totally forgotten I was there. I sighed again, and I noticed that this trip is going to bring me much more aggravation than I had anticipated in the beginning. Great. Just so fucking great. I can hear the damn shadows laughing at my misery. Damn them. I hope they all die in flames.

"Well then..." Eyebrows coughed into his fist, snapping out his shock faster than Gilbert. "My name is Arthur. Arthur Kirkland."

He held a hand out to me, and I ignored it for a second, before coming to a conclusion that there was no reason to be rude. I shook his hand, and he seemed pleased for a moment.

"Anyways, I'm sure you've heard of our-"

"I haven't heard shit, I'm sorry to inform you. Gilbert literally just decided to kidnap me."

Arthur seemed surprised, and he glared at Gilbert. "Don't tell me..." He crossed his arms and leaned forward. "You listened to Duchess! You moron, you know her choices aren't the best when it comes to people!"

And then it spiraled back to conversation we had with Frederick, and I sighed once again.

I was right. This trip was going to cause me much more aggravation than I originally thought.

I think the shadows are laughing harder now.


	6. Chapter 6

**Lol, so a few things happened since my last update. My aunt visited twice, I went to go see my Nana in the valley, and wow I missed her. My two baby cousins, my other aunt, and my grandpa were there too. I had a long talk with my grandpa about high school, sports, comedians, and astronomy. Oh, and math. Of course that, he's a mathematician who worked for Nasa. :/ He teaches college now, though. Now that I think of it, my dad got a master's degree in math too, I think...**

**No wonder it's my best subject. **

* * *

I had, at some point, broken up the banter between Gilbert and Arthur. I don't know how, but we ended up walking together, me in between the two as they both seethed in pathetic, childish anger. I didn't feel like being the babysitter, so I ignored them as we went along. It was just me and my thoughts for quite a while, and as time passed by, their heads seemed to cool down, and their anger seemed to disperse into a bundle of thoughts that they each roamed as we walked down the path.

"We're almost to our next destination, you know."

I side glanced at Arthur, raising an eyebrow. "And our next destination is...?"

Gilbert snorted. "An entrance to an underground tunnel."

I looked at Gilbert in confusion, crossing my arms.

"I've been through here millions of times and have travelled very far into these wood, and I have never come across an underground tunnel."

"Yeah, well, that's why we call it a Secret Emergency Tunnel. Or SET for short. You should calm down, it's not like you're going to know _everything_."

I growled, now suddenly feeling stupid. And usually, when someone makes me feel stupid and childish, I become bitter. "I better _set_ up a noose for you, that's what I _should_ do."

Arthur laughed and punched me in the shoulder, making me topple into Gilbert once more.

"_Shit!_"

"This boy cracks me up! Wait 'till Liz meets him, _man_, she's going to love him!"

Gilbert glared at Arthur, wrapping an arm around my shoulder and rubbing soothing circles over the spot that I'm sure is going to bruise sooner or later.

"Yeah, well, I don't think she'll like to meet him battered and bloody. Quit abusing him, you pirate!"

Arthur looked offended and stared as Gilbert gently inched me away from the other.

"I am not _abusing_ him! It was just a friendly punch to the shoulder! And before that it was only pats on the back!"

"Which all hurt a ton, and I would prefer it if you would stop... Please."

Arthur stared at me in shock a moment, but sighed nevertheless. He shrugged and walked ahead of us.

"At least you're polite and honest. Most people would either not say anything or simply lash out at me with all their wrath."

I snorted, crossing my arms. "Trust me, if you had punched me one more time, I would have went ballistic on you."

Arthur began laughing, and the ground shook, making me have to latch onto Gilbert's sleeve to keep balance. Gilbert rolled his eyes, and I glared, mouthing the words "Fuck off, it's not like I want to."

Root sprouted from the ground, and I watched in horror as one curled around and up my leg, making sure to have a firm hold on it all the way to my thigh. I was, by this time, freaking the hell out, latching onto Gilbert's whole torso as it began trying to pull me down. I glanced up to see what happened to Arthur, but saw that he was smiling, one hand out in front of him, controlling the pest that was trying to bring me down under. Anger burned, lighting up a furnace inside me I didn't know was there, and I screamed so loud that even the quaking couldn't block out my voice.

"CALL BACK YOUR LITTLE DEMON ROOTS! THEY'RE LEAVING EVIDENCE, AND THE COUNCIL LAB WILL DETECT WHERE THE QUAKING IS COMING FROM!"

In an instant, it stopped, and I fell in a heap on the ground, nearly bringing Gilbert with me. He was bent over with my arms still wrapped around his torso. I let go, got up, and brushed myself, not bothering to help Gilbert up because I was now in a bitchy mood.

Arthur walked up to me and patted my shoulder. "Imagine if you _did_ go ballistic on me. A lot worse would have happened to you."

"I'm sorry, but you must be misinformed. I didn't want to hurt you. But if you want to see a little snippet of what I _can_ do to you, you better hold on tight."

Laughing began echoing, and shadows peaked out from the darkest shadows, approaching Arthur as swiftly as possible. Arthur laughed, not knowing that my shadows were not simply shadows, and I felt challenged.

"Choke."

Arthur's hands threw themselves at his throat, and he began choking himself. His eyes widened in terror, and he squirmed, but couldn't move from his spot, and I smirked at his confusion. Honestly, all he needed to do was look at his shadow to realize what was happening. My little friends were holding his shadow down, and moving his hands up to choke himself. Not hard to figure out.

"Release."

Arthur gasped for air and fell to his knees, coughing in his spasm of panic.

I crouched down and patted him on the shoulder. "_Imagine if you did try to kill me. A lot worse would have happened to you_."

"Why I outa- NO ONE defeats this pirate!"

Arthur got up and quickly put his fists out in front of himself, and I rolled my eyes.

"That's enough, you two."

We both turned towards Gilbert, who was already way ahead of us, his hands in his pockets, casually, as if he hadn't seen a damn thing.

"Let's just get to the tunnel already, we've been here long enough. Frederick is probably worried sick by now and waiting."

Arthur and I shared a look, shook each other's hands in a newfound respect, and ran to catch up with Gilbert.

We left the giant hole in the ground... That kind of unsettles me.

* * *

We had walked for another half hour before we spotted Frederick in the distance, leaning on a tree while sipping what I assumed tea from a little plastic teacup. I don't have the faintest idea where he had gotten it, though. He sure as heck wasn't carrying it before the journey.

"I see you two have finally made it."

I'm pretty sure he was trying to look at both me and Gilbert, but his eyes kept flicking over to me as if he wanted to say something. I sort of felt guilty for ditching him for Gilbert, but at the same time, I was glad I did. If I hadn't, I wouldn't have met Arthur, nor would I have calmed down from my pissy mood over being kidnapped. And I wouldn't have been getting along with Gilbert as well as I was now. We seemed to get along fairly well now.

"Well then, let's go. Seeing that Arthur is here, I don't need to press the button."

"Right, right."

Arthur walked over and cracked his knuckles out in front of himself.

"I want everyone to stay close to me, or else you could get left behind."

Gilbert pushed me to go up first, and I suddenly felt terrified as of why he would do that, so I swatted his hand away, grabbed him by the ear, and pulled him with me, him laughing the whole time. Frederick seemed to hesitate at first, but joined us nevertheless. When Arthur deemed us all close enough, he sat down lotus style and joined his hands together. His body seemed to relax, and he took deep breaths.

"No one make a sound. This has to be done correctly."

I raised an eyebrow and turned to find an explanation from either Gilbert or Frederick, but Frederick wasn't looking and Gilbert shook his head, indicating it wasn't the time. So I remained silent and watched, mind mixing with questioning thoughts over what will happen. Of course, that was answered fairly quickly, as the ground began to shake, this time more violently, and both me and Gilbert were leaning on each other for balance. The patch of ground that everyone was standing on began to lower, sinking into the earth, and now I was sure that I had every right to be absolutely terrified. I kept my mouth shut, though, obeying considering the fact that my gut told me to, as well as Arthur.

The more the ground sunk, the more terrified I became, and I could see a hole in the side open up as we slid down. I noticed that it was the tunnel, and this was how it was hidden. Wow. Most creative way to hide a tunnel.

The ground soon stopped moving, but considering that Arthur was still on the ground and Gilbert and Frederick had not made a move, this wasn't over. We waited for about another minute, and Arthur stood up and stretched.

"There is no one in the tunnels. I temporarily closed off the WG tunnels. They think it's another cave in, so that means no soldiers will be crawling around here any time soon."

"WG?" I whispered under my breath as Arthur continued talking.

"World Gov," Gilbert answered.

"Ah." I nodded, and joined in to listen on the conversation between Frederick and Arthur again.

"Anyone of ours?"

"Aside from the hideout, no. The ones currently in the hideout, however, is limited, so I advise extra caution. So far, the only ones gathered is Kiku, Lovino, Ludwig, Elizaveta, and Antonio."

I scrunched my face up, remembering once again of the Spanish man that was transferred to our little town. Toni... Man, that infuriates me. Stupid waiter.

"That seems like enough for now, if no soldiers are approaching. Anyways, let's make haste. I'm sure everyone wants to meet the new member."

Member? Member of what? I think I need to pay attention more often...

We travelled down the tunnel quickly, apparently having to leave Arthur behind to close up the giant hole we made in the ground to get into the tunnel. It was dark, and there was torches lined far apart from each other, flickering and dim. So dim that my shadows could pass through easily, which surprised me.

It was a long walk, and by now I was tired as fuck. The whole day went by with nothing but walking, and it had already been darkening outside when we entered the tunnel. It was probably black outside now. I'm not used to this kind of exercise, no matter how slow it was.

At the end of the tunnel, we finally reached a steel door covered in many locks, each different from the other, and the word "confidential" written in gold, curly, uppercase letters on a plaque beside it. Frederick stepped forward and did an eye scan, showed a WG badge, scanned his fingerprint, and unlocked a voice command. It was not hard to figure out that he had some connection to the WG. And, of course, this made me much more confused than I was in the beginning, considering that we just apparently blocked any other WG official from our direction. Not to mention that we had messed with the council, and if he was a WG official...

Well, that just meant that I'm screwed.

The door slid open, and I was guided inside reluctantly by Gilbert's arm. There were people inside, mostly men, and all were in different sections of the room, wearing some sort of skin-tight jumpsuit with individual colors. There were two people on one side of the room, a woman who had gigantic tree arms attached to herself, swinging her arms around viciously at wooden targets, and a young asian man with a brownish green aura encircling himself, standing in military position, eyes closed. In the middle of the room stood a man with blonde hair and bright blue eyes, standing perfectly still over a pool of water. Next to him was the waiter, gushing gusts of wind and giggling in childish excitement. Then, on the far right of the room, stood a boy with red-brown hair, blistering in hot, melting metal, which honestly scared me half to death.

"Well, welcome to the gang, Roddy!"

Everyone in the room stopped what they were doing, turning to stare at me, and I was suddenly quite frightened.

I am not good with people.


	7. Chapter 7

All eyes were on me, and I gulped, suddenly finding it very hard to breathe in this atmosphere. I pulled on the collar of my shirt, tugging it down to get in some breeze, and scanned over the people in front of me, analyzing their thoughts and movements, hoping I could quickly figure what I could say, but found that I was completely choked up and too nervous to say shit. I thought maybe Gilbert could help me out, but when I glanced at him, he wasn't even looking at me or expecting anything from me. He was simply smiling like a complete dork, hand on his hips, chest puffed out, all proud over something that I couldn't quite tell. I nearly made a face, but kept it in, not wanting to look like I wasn't impressed or anything. Because I very much was, as I have never seen anyone have molten metal poured on them without giving a shit, even if they _could_ manipulate fire.

"Gilbert, is this the person we've been expecting?"

I focus my eyes on the blue-eyed man, watching him approach us with some sense of leadership floating around him, and I raised an eyebrow. I look at Gilbert, and he was still smiling, but it looked much more fake than dorkish.

"Well this is the guy we wanted, but I can assure you, he's not anything like we expected."

"I can't tell if that was a fucking insult or a compliment," I deadpanned, crossing my arms.

"Take it as both, honey."

"Don't call me that."

"Roddy."

"Don't call me that _either_."

"Fine! Roderich!" Gilbert threw his arms in the air dramatically as if he gave up. "Anyways, like I said, welcome to the gang! Let me introduce you-"

"We can introduce ourselves, Gilbert."

Gilbert glared at the blue-eyed man, crossing his arms. "Well fine, then. I guess none of you need me! You all think I'm unwanted anyways!"

"Your yelling is certainly unwanted," I grumbled. "Seriously, Gilbert, we just spent a whole day, from 6:00 to now, doing nothing but walk. Have some sympathy for someone who, first of all, isn't a morning person, and, second of all, does not really find exercising their forte."

"Yeah, well, sympathy isn't really my forte."

I rolled my eyes. "I figured."

Gilbert laughed, and I chuckled along with him.

The man in front of us coughed, effectively getting our attention. He stood in a military pose, looking much more sharp than the Asian man had while doing so. "I am Ludwig Beilschmidt. The moron next to you is my brother, Gilbert Beilschmidt. This is a militia unit #13."

I furrowed my eyebrows, feeling a sense of familiarity. Beilschmidt? Where have I-

Holy shit.

As Ludwig continued rambling with his eyes closed, I took out a book from my messenger bag. It was the same book from last night, and I quickly flipped through the beginning pages, looking for the one page that I was sure to have "Beilschmidt" written in it. And there it was, written in the bold print.

"-and that concludes the explanation- Hey, are you listening?"

"_This is the famous family known as the Beilschmidt family. There is a rumor that there is only one male in the family every 100 or so years that is born with a different factor._"

Ludwig raised an eyebrow, stepping over to gently take to book from my hands. He skimmed over the words, eyebrows scrunched up in concentration, and when he seemed finished, he closed the book and handed it back to me. He didn't say anything, simply turning around and nodding for everyone else to introduce themselves. I was worried for a moment, since that response was completely unexpected and out of place, but I decided to ignore it for the time being and listen to what everyone else had to say.

Metal guy walked up, still dripping, the only thing noticeable now was his eyes. Green.

"I'm Lovino of Italia, and don't say shit about my hobbies, got it, bastardo?"

"Hobbies? And did you just call me a bastard, you fucking assh-"

Gilbert put a hand to my shoulder, shaking his head. I took that as a sign that this "Lovino" character always called people shitty names. That or Gilbert thought Lovino would kill me if I picked a fight with him. Which is impossible, since it would be so easy to snap his neck without even touching him. Seriously, I could have easily have done it with Arthur, it's no different with him, covered in molten shit or not.

Antonio walked up, waving, with a light-hearted smile planted on his lips. "You already know me! How's it going, Rodrigo?"

"Awful, thanks for caring." I gave him a smile to match his own, and he faltered, apparently very uncomfortable with my response. Well, good. I was going for that anyways. What he deserves for lying to me all this time. I mean, are you fucking kidding me? I knew this guy for, what? Four years? And now he's suddenly working with the very person who fucking kidnapped me? That seriously pisses me off. Damned Spanish bastard. Huh, probably what Lovino calls him.

The woman of the group began laughing, loud and confidently, an arm wrapped around her stomach. "This kid is hilarious! His attitude is just fucking perfect! I love it!"

Once she calmed down enough, she walked up to me, and instead of giving me a hard handshake like I had expected, she picked me up into a giant bear hug, crushing my insides with big tree arms. I could hear my body snap. Not like cracking my knuckles. Like my ribs snapping. And it felt fucking awful.

"My name is Elizaveta! I've come from Hungary specifically for this team! Nice to meet you!"

"Roderich," I somehow managed to choke out. "Now could... you..."

"Oh. Right."

Elizaveta dropped me and retracted her giant tree-like appendages, and I fell on my ass, taking in a big gulp of hair, too big. I began coughing, and I tried to quickly calm down when I noticed the patient-looking Asian man step forward, simply staring at me as he waited for me to stop. I got back up, finally feeling calm, although I was sure my face was totally red and screwing up into an uncomfortable expression. The Asian man still waited though, and I wasn't exactly sure whether to feel embarrassed or not. I simply took a few deep breathes, and I waited.

"My name is Kiku. Honda Kiku."

I jumped, as his voice was sudden, and everyone else in the room seemed a bit surprised as well. His accent made it fairly obvious that he was Japanese. It was strong, and I doubt he has been in this... "unit" for a very long time. That's probably why he didn't introduce what country he had come from.

"Um... Nice to meet you." I shifted from foot to foot. "Do you want me to call you by your last name, Honda, or...?"

"Kiku is perfectly fine. We're not in my home country, so it is understandable."

He bowed, and I awkwardly stood there, wondering what the hell I should do. Gilbert seemed to notice how uncomfortable I was, and, thankfully, he clapped his hands to get everyone's attention.

"Alright, guys! Now that introductions are over, I think it's time to explain to him what he's here for."

Everyone gave Gilbert an incredulous look, and I had an inkling of what they were thinking about and what one of them was probably about to say.

"Don't tell me, bruder..."

"The bastard listened to _Duchess_?!"

"I knew you were an idiot of a man, but really? Really Gilbert?"

"Gilbert, we're great amigos, si? But as your amigo, I must say you are an idiota."

"Gilbert-san, that is truly pathetic."

I snickered at Gilbert's dismayed expression, and he sharply turned towards me, an extremely angered look on his features. I looked away and whistled innocently, hoping that it bothered the shit out of him. And it seemed that my mission was accomplished, as he began growling, and the flames in his hair were cooking brighter than before. I didn't even need to look to notice, the light was bursting from his head well enough to cast shadows around the room. I snickered even harder, as he looked like a candle. I like that. I'll call him candle-head from now on.

"All of you just _shut the fuck up_, alright?! I get it, it was wrong to listen to Duchess, but can we just get over that and do what we need to do? I did something wrong, so it's about time that we correct that mistake and tell Roddy-"

"Roderich."

"Yeah, whatever. And tell Roderich why he's here."

I sighed. If I knew he was going to give me a ridiculous nickname from the get-go, I wouldn't have told him my name in the first place. Roddy? What kind of stupid name is that for a male?

My mind wandered off somewhere for a bit, but it snapped back immediately as Ludwig coughed into his fist, and I blushed in embarrassment when I noticed that he knew I was off in lala land. Well, I guess this is one of the reasons why I'm not very good with people.

"Well, then... Roderich, let me again explain what this place is. This is unit #13 of-"

"Yeah, militia, I got that part. It was everything else I didn't hear."

Ludwig raised an eyebrow, but proceeded nevertheless.

"I see. Well, this militia was organized by Friedrich Wilhelm, or as we call him, Frederick. And he just so happens to be the man who found you, surprisingly, even though we already had _some_ agents living in your town." Ludwig sent an annoyed look to Antonio, who simply gave a sheepish smile as if that would immediately fix his anger.

"This militia was created for a purpose-"

"I could only assume."

Ludwig rolled his eyes. "I was getting to the purpose. Anyways, our goal is to bring the WG system down. With the help of Frederick and many of ours spies who are current soldiers of the WG, not to mention our own specially trained soldiers, we think we can shut down the system. Everything fake will fall apart, and nature will have it's control over earth again. Animals will no longer suffer, and the so-called 'peace' will become reality once more. Reality is cruel, but we believe these hardships is what create people. The people today are-"

"Soulless? Fake? Puppets? Yes, indeed. I completely agree. But what does this have to do with me?"

Ludwig sighed, and Gilbert offered to explain this time around. "You are someone who is discriminated, yet much more intelligent and powerful than the people who discriminate you. That was the first thing that got us to think about having you join us. We thought you may wanted to prove your strength and gain the authority you deserve. The second thing that got us going was your power in general. We've heard of the things you've done, but absolutely none of us believed that you could wield darkness. That was a shocking discovery, a very good one. You are the only person who, we believe, on earth to be able to wield such a power. And the fact that it is so much more effective than people think just adds to it. We've heard rumors of how dangerous darkness could be, and those rumors led us to your town in the first place. Frederick didn't know of your abilities until I came along with your bag."

"And now the bag comes into picture?" I rolled my eyes. I was not that special, it's not like I'm the most powerful person on earth. I was far from that.

"Yeah, the bag. I found a book in it. A very important book that contained crucial details of today's life and the life people lived in the past. You have all of this information planted in your head. Intelligent isn't even enough to describe all you know. You know how to make good weapons without even using them, and you know how to assemble old weapons- you can _reinvent_ weapons. The gun and the katana, all of those! Because you have read all of these books."

Gilbert turned around, a fairly confident smile prominent. "This guy is the key to everything! And the cutest thing about this, he doesn't even fucking know how valuable he is!"

Did that fucking moron technically call me "cute?"


	8. Chapter 8

**So, my aunt asked me of my views on sex. It went like this:**

**Auntie: Clair, what do you think about sex?**

**Me: It's something two couples do to share their passion, as well as other emotions, to each other without having to use words. Some couples are angry with each other, some couples grieve together, and others just giggle and laugh and be happy and in love with each other. And throughout the whole time, they're getting it on. That answer your question?**

**Auntie:...**

**Auntie:*Hugs* You wonderful child.**

**Me: lol wut.**

**_P.S. This is sort of a filler chapter!_**

* * *

Elizaveta began laughing hardily, it low and almost boyish. She sort of acted like a sailor.

"Cute! Did you hear that, Toni? Cute! Oi, Gilbert, you've got something to tell everyone?"

"Oh, _can it_ Liz!"

Gilbert rolled his eyes, the flames in his hair returning, and I grew uninterested. There was a few moments of teasing, until a low rumble was heard.

Oh fuck, it's me.

"Hungry?"

I felt my cheeks go numb and hot, and I raised a hand to cover my eyes in embarrassment, deciding not to answer. He could figure it out himself.

"Well, makes sense. All we ate all day were energy bars and beef jerky. Well, I did. I don't think you ate anything, actually. You were so stubborn you refused to eat anything that came from me or Frederick."

Everyone was once again staring at me, and I frowned. Gee, Gilbert, what a way to say it. Now everyone probably thinks I'm some stuck-up, sarcastic, cynical asshole with trusting problems-

Oh.

Yeah, that sounds about right.

"So! Who's gonna cook?"

Everyone went silent, Elizaveta averting her eyes, while Ludwig and Kiku actually completely turned around from Gilbert. Toni ran off without so much as a sound, and Lovino somehow disappeared, becoming a puddle of molten lava, mixing with the metal. Even Frederick seemed uncomfortable with the topic. Which is weird, since it was just a simple question. Do these people not like cooking or something? I'll gladly do it. I think it's fun to cook. Especially baking. Gosh, cake is paradise in a bite.

Someone cleared their throat, and I turned around to see Arthur standing in the doorway.

"So! What I miss?"

"Oh. Shit."

I looked to my side and saw Gilbert grow paler than he already was, and he took me by the shoulders and pushed me towards Ludwig, who in turned grabbed my arm.

"Take Roderich _FAR FROM HERE_!"

"Woah, _what_?!"

I was very confused. What the fuck? Why is Gilbert suddenly so damn afraid of Arthur? It's not like Arthur was cloned by the enemy or some shit. Haha. Maybe his food so bad, everyone-

Holy shit, that was meant to be a joke.

"Excuse me? Why do you people always run on my days! I thought you liked my tea! And what about my scones?"

My senses are tingling!

"Scones?"

I ripped myself away from Ludwig, smiling at Arthur.

"Baking? So, that means there's an oven here? Can I help? Is there coffee? I like tea, too. Can we make a cake? Sachertorte is my favorite. Do you have sugar and cream? I usually like my drinks sweet. Yansoon would be a good tea choice for this time... Especially with honey. It's sweet and puts people to sleep, and it goes well with any pastry. Of course, chamomile would do just fine, though it is not as-"

"AHEM, Mr. I'm-a-fucking-royal-menu, if you really want to make this stuff, why don't we have Artie here take you to the kitchen so you can teach him how to actually cook instead of turning food into poisonous weapons. You sound like you actually know what you're talking about. Maybe you can tell the difference between salt and sugar!"

"I can't tell whether you're mocking me or Arthur. Either way, fuck off and quit being rude, _Piefke_."

"_What_ did you just call me, _Ösi_?"

Arthur decided it was about time to whisk me away to the kitchen, it seems, and I didn't really fight back. I mean, seriously, he was taking me to the _kitchen. The kitchen._ Who the fuck was gonna pass up that? Well, other than everyone else but me. And Arthur. Okay, I really like working in the kitchen, let's leave it at that. It's a certain love that draws me closer to the indoors, at times.

"Alright, you mind telling me what was going on in there?"

I gave Arthur an are-you-shitting-me look, and he simply crossed his arms and waited.

"I was already a little annoyed with him before he called me a menu."

"That so? Why?"

I frowned, thinking over what I wanted to say. I didn't really know it myself.

"Before you came here..."

Then I realized exactly what pissed me off.

"He called me cute!"

Arthur burst out laughing, slapping his knee, and walked to the fridge.

"He has every right to call you cute! I mean, have you looked at yourself? Have you even seen a video on the way you act? You're like a little, stubborn, stuck-up child! And it's even more adorable when you start pouting while you're angry! Do you realize you do that? You stick out your lower lip and cross your arms as if you're about to throw a mini tantrum or something!"

"I do _not_!"

"You _do_!"

Arthur took out a bunch of things from the fridge, and I instantly realized that he wasn't taking anything out for the scones. Just a bunch of herbs that could be used for the tea. Everything else, well, I had no idea. Literally, there is no recipe in my head that requires all this shit. Condensed milk? Cake mix? Egg whites? What the fuck- an _avocado_?

"You also make some sort of face when you're confused. When we first met, you were looking between me and Gilbert with these sort of hopeless puppy eyes. See, you're doing it right now! You look like a lost puppy!"

"I- _No_, I don't!"

"If only I had it on camera! The only face of yours that seems totally evil in when you win something, I think. I've only seen it once, so I can't really judge, but you made this terrifying and infuriating face after you beat me in that challenge in the woods. Really pissed me off, but it took me a moment to actually blow up in your face. I mean, I had to build up the courage to yell back at something that was terrifying me, you know? You were like a... You were like some sort of sadistic... Dominatrix!"

"I'm a _man_!"

"_That's_ the part of my sentence that bothered you?"

Arthur laughed, and I flushed in embarrassment once more. Fuck my life.

* * *

So, I quickly had come to realize that Arthur had next to _no_ culinary skills, which led me to force him away from the cutting board. I put him safely next to the stove where he could peacefully make his tea while I began to take out the correct ingredients for scones. I also threw away the cake mix because it was way expired, as well as the avocados, the sandwiches, and a shit ton of other things in the fridge. Do these people live in a _cave_? Okay, well, technically, since this is a room underground, this could be called a cave. But they must live in an _uncivilized_ cave! Because, really, were they going to eat this gunk? That would be sickening!

By the time I had the scones in the oven, Arthur was finished with the tea, and we both sat down at a kitchen table, patiently waiting. Arthur seemed to already pour himself a cup of tea, which I found a bit disrespectful to everyone else, but I guess it's safe to assume that not many of them enjoy tea. I, in fact, actually prefer coffee. Which reminds me...

"Arthur, is there any coffee beans I could ready?"

"We do have some. However, they're mixed in with a bunch of different brands in a paper bag, up in the pantry. And we also don't have a coffee grinder."

"That's fine. Could I use some cream and sugar?"

"Oh, sure! Be my quest."

I got up and went down into the supplies cabinet where I previously saw a mortar and pestle. I took it out, got the coffee beans, a small custard cup, and began grinding.

"You seemed skilled."

I hummed, not taking my eyes off the task at hand.

"Where did you learn to grind coffee like that. It's not only unusual to do so, but from what I've heard, it's also difficult to use a mortar and pestle in the first place."

I nodded in agreement.

"My grandmother taught me. My parents had abandoned me, so I was raised by an old lady who I called my grandmother. I'm used to the old way of doing things, since this stuff was apparently passed on throughout her family for generations. Compared to everything else I learned how to do, grinding coffee beans is really... Simple. That's why I'm usually quite content with my life, even if people don't necessarily treat me in the most nicest fashion. I can survive without having to spend so much money on high tech shit."

"Jeez, well that makes me jealous. I can't survive without my instant tea maker. Well, not instant, but it seriously only takes a minute. I would hate to have to wait any longer."

I chuckled.

"Well, I think it's nice waiting. I can sit down, read a book, and when I hear the whistle steaming out of the kettle, I feel sort of proud of myself for waiting long enough. I don't mind waiting because I enjoy the feeling of being alone in my house, peacefully reading a book, knowing that I'll soon be relaxing with a hot cup of tea."

"You sound like a very calm person at home. Why so different with people?"

"Because people are fickle and unreliable, next to untrustworthy."

"Oh."

There was silence, and I used this moment to fully concentrate on grinding the coffee beans better, making sure that they are such a fine powder that they felt like soft sand. I usually liked it better this way. I guess it was an OCD habit of mine.

"Hey, Arthur, could I use that tea maker of yours? I suspect it works the same with coffee."

"Um, yeah. It does. Go right ahead."

He sounded weird, but I didn't really care, and I got water heated up on the stove, deciding to do it the slow way.

"So..."

I looked over my shoulder.

"What?"

"Why do you think that? Is there a specific reason?"

I furrowed my brows.

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

"You dislike people, you're discriminated, you're constantly pestered by these little shadows that follow you around, so much so that you don't even pay attention to them anymore, and to top it all off, you live alone, yet you still tell me that you're completely content with your life? Do you realize how ridiculous that sounds? What possibly makes you believe that you are happy the way you are? What is your reason?"

I frowned.

"This is one of the reasons I don't like people. You all need to have a _reason_ to be happy."

I sighed and turned off the kettle, getting a cup out and taking the tea maker.

"Why does there need to be a reason to be happy? I get that there probably needs to be a reason to laugh, that's something different. But being happy is looking at the good things in your life. You can be content so long as you know you have good things inside of you. It's not hard. It's not technically a reason. It's just called being happy."

I poured my cup, added a bunch of cream and sugar, and went to the table, sitting down on the opposite side of Arthur. I didn't bother with a glass of water.

"And another thing; Being content isn't necessarily being happy. It just means that you are okay with the way things are. I am content, not very happy right now, but content, because I am safe, I am breathing, I have something to calm my nerves, and as for the moment, I know that nothing will ruin my mood. Unless, of course, you did something to the scones I made. Then I would be pissed off."

He coughed into his fist, and I narrowed my eyes, suddenly getting a sinking feeling.

"Yeah, about that..."

"ARTHUR!"


	9. Chapter 9

**Yeah, so, I had a good time the last couple of days. Went to a place called the Antique Mall, which is awesome, it's in Pasadena, and we got pizza fresh out of a wood-burning oven, although I didn't like it very much. They barely put any cheese... Um, I also know I'm able to complete an Austria cosplay because Hot Topic is fucking awesome, and school. I'm nervous. I am extremely unready for the beginning of High School... Well, I'm ready, but I just don't want to go. Okay, ignore my shit now and read the chapter. **

* * *

I had to redo the whole thing. The whole fucking thing. Why? What could Arthur have possibly done to ruin the whole fucking thing? He apparently took the dough behind my back and excessively kneaded it. Why is that a problem, you say? Well, I'll tell you a little baking tip when cooking scones; let the damn dough rest. It has gluten in it. Let it fucking relax. That way it won't come out like a fucking hardened pancake!

Ahem, excuse my language...

This is usually the reason as to why I don't like working with other people in the kitchen, _especially_ when they suck in the kitchen in the first place.

"_UUUUUUGH_!"

I totally didn't hear anything.

"I said I was sorry! How long are you going to ignore me?!"

Hmm? What was that? I think I hear something. Where is it coming from? Definitely not from behind me. Oh well. Must be the wind. Whatever.

I picked up the tray of the new batch, as well as the tray with the cups of tea, as well as the smaller tray of cake. This is a lot less than I had planned, but I am a strong believer of being on time. Actually, I am a strong believer of being early. I usually make it to destinations around ten to fifteen minutes early. But I can't exactly do that this time. Why? You know why.

I pressed my back to the double doors and walked out, noticing not far away a long table with plates and utensils set up in front of each chair. Considering the fact it was the longest table here, and that there was a lot of people here as well, it wasn't hard to figure out that the table I was looking at is the place that everyone eats at. So I carefully made my way there, balancing the trays on my arms, which is probably a huge accomplishment because my limbs feel like they're going to break off.

I passed by Ludwig, who gave me a confused look, and he glanced at Arthur, who I heard come out of the kitchen.

"Why are you holding _nothing_ and he's holding _everything_?"

"Wha- It's not _my_ fault he's completely ignoring me!"

I rolled my eyes and continued to carefully trek over to the table, and I felt some weight being lifted from my arms. I looked over to see Ludwig, who didn't say anything as he took the cake and the scones as if they were no problem. Well then. That makes me feel terribly weak. And how can he walk over there so easily without dropping anything? I thought I was a master at balance... This place is lowering my self-esteem. I better get out of here soon. I don't want to end up feeling meek.

I walked over to the table and muttered a small "thank you" to Ludwig as he left, and I set up the trays so that everyone could get what they wanted. It looked like there were way more cups of tea than necessary, but I guess that's okay. I went back to the kitchen to get honey, sugar, and cream, and came back to see that there was already people seated, all of which I haven't met yet.

Great. More people to meet. And I can't say I'm tired to get out of it. I just had coffee!

"Hey, Rodrigo! Come here, let me introduce you to the others!"

But they don't know I had coffee.

"Um, sorry, Toni, but I'm a little tired. Maybe another time?"

"Eh? I thought I saw you drinking coffee, though. Maybe the caffeine hasn't kicked in yet! I'm sure you can handle a little more agitación, right?"

Damnit Antonio, _no_! _No_, I can _not_ handle any more excitement!

"Yeah, I guess so."

"Great! ¡Vámonos!"

Antonio went behind me and pushed me over to the table. There were three people in total. One of them was a tanned teenager with square glasses, blue eyes, and blonde hair. Considering the fact that his shirt had red, white, and blue on it, and he had a star sticker on his cheek, I think it's safe to say he's American. Another man, and gosh did I dislike this, had a cigarette trapped between his teeth, and he was somehow able to blow smoke shaped like hearts. He had blonde hair and blue eyes as well, and he sported a stubble. He also had some weird blue cape on. Which looked really weird over his uniform. I think it was a uniform. I don't know, everyone else is wearing the same thing. It all just had different colors on the sides.

Ahem, getting sidetracked.

The last one was one of the tallest people I've ever met. He had washed blonde hair that was extremely light, and it looked sort of greyish. His eyes were a pastel purple, much softer than my own lilacs, and he had a long, seemingly friendly smile plastered onto his face. It seemed very fake to me. Extremely fake. Like he was making a gigantic effort to look like he was perky 24/7. I didn't like that. If I were unhappy, I would definitely not put in an effort to _look_ happy. I'd openly say I was not happy and even explain why, no "Oh, I'm alright," or, "No, nothing's wrong." I guess it's a blunt way to react, but it's better to be blunt at times.

I quickly noticed that the tall man was looking at the American, and the American was glaring daggers back. Interesting. They seemed to be having some sort of mental war. And the tall guy seemed to be winning. Although, I give points to the American for his tenacity.

"Ah, amigos, quit fighting! I need to introduce you to the new member!"

Yeah, I don't remember ever agreeing to any of this. I think I've said this a million times before, but I'll say it again. I WAS KIDNAPPED!

"Oh, so you're the dude everyone's been talking about! I'm Alfred! Alfred F. Jones!"

Alfred, the American, quickly jumped over the table and shook my hand vigorously. After he was done, I felt like my whole body was just vibrated, and I felt both tingly and shaky. Weird. Very weird. Did I mention that my hand felt like it was just crushed between a doorframe? Because it does.

"U-um, nice t-to meet you Alfred."

I cleared my throat, trying to wash away the shakiness. Antonio patted me on the back, and it helped a bit.

"Alright, alright, Alfredo el Grande, you made a nice introduction. Next time, however, try to contain your strength, por favor?"

Alfred chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

Next came the tall man, who put a meaty hand on my shoulder and patted, which hurt. A lot. Probably worse than my hand.

"Um, _excuse_ me, but would you mind _not_ crushing me?"

I gave him an annoyed look, but he simply smiled wider. Antonio coughed into his fist, gently scooting me away from the man.

"This is Ivan. He is, ah, well... A bit hard to understand, but he is a good person! Just, um, not the easiest to handle!"

Antonio was smiling brightly, but it looked just as fake as Ivan's, and I didn't find myself trusting him any time soon. If Antonio found it hard liking him, then there is definitely something wrong with this guy, whether it be his fakeness, some secret attitude, or his seemingly lack of total maturity. No matter what, it was plain to see that he was not currently living in reality, and it would be best to stay away from those type of people.

"Now, let's introduce moi~!"

The man in the cape had roses falling from fucking nowhere, and his cigarette seemed to disappear as well. He suddenly had his arm around my waist, pulling me way too close for comfort, and- what the fuck, is he kissing my hand?!

"My name is Francis Bonnefoy, but you, mon cher, may call me _François~_"

Control the shadows. Don't kill the man. Whatever you do, DON'T KILL HIM. He's a perv but you can deal with it.

I cover my eyes with my free hand, trying to calm down, and I mentally counted to ten. One, two, three, nope, control the shadows, four, five, six, seven, what is he doing? I uncovered my eyes, and I saw Antonio laughing with Alfred in the corner of my eye. But that was the least of my concerns. The perv was _leaning in!_

I lifted my fist, grabbed onto the front of his cape, and I was ready to pull my finishing blow when-

"Francis, what the FUCK do you think you're doing with Roddy?!"

Oh, my knight in shining armor, Gilbert! GET THE FUCK OUT WHILE I PUNCH THIS BITCH!

Ahem.

Wow. That was ungentlemanly...

"And Roderich!"

Woah, wait. Is he going to accuse me of something? I'm the victim here!

"I can not believe you're actually going for it!"

_What_?

Alfred and Antonio began snickering louder, and I was about to punch one of them too.

"Are you kidding me? Do you not see my arm raised above my head, in a fist, ready to punch his damn brains out? I can not even fathom what would make you think I am taking this sexual harassment! You know what, I don't give a shit what you think! I'm going to finish what I was going to do before you came in here!"

I tightened my grip further on the other's cape, and I raised my fist higher, ready to strike, but Gilbert interrupted me again.

"See! There it is! You're _pulling him towards you!_ You're going to kiss him!"

I decided it would be best to ignore Gilbert this time around, and I struck Francis in the face, surely leaving a nasty bruising around his eye. Well, he deserved it for trying to advance on me on our first meeting. His motives were as clear as day and I was definitely not going to stand for it.

"MERDE!"

I smirked in some twisted satisfaction when hearing that, and I raised my fist again, against my better judgment. However, I was lifted from the ground and away from the Frenchman, and I struggled to turn and see who it was. And look at that. Ivan. I guess he's not that bad a person after all, if he's willing to protect this guy. Or, wait, wouldn't that mean he is just as bad as the Frenchman? Whatever.

I dropped my fist and hung, waiting for Ivan to put me down. He didn't. He decided to humiliate me by keeping me here until everyone from before, and more, had come out from wherever the hell they are to eat at the table. Or laugh at Francis's misery, in Arthur's case, which pleased me quite a bit. I guess I should forgive him for that.

"Um, Roderich? Didn't I only leave you for about five minutes? What exactly happened?"

Well. I guess since I forgave Arthur, I should answer him.

"Antonio thought it would be a smart idea to introduce me to his 'amigos.'"

"I see. And why aren't you struggling? You do notice that Ivan is holding you like a doll, right?"

"Meh. I don't really care. He isn't hurting me."

Gilbert walked up to Ivan, glaring at him, and me and Arthur shared a look. Arthur was definitely going to explain this to me later.

"Russian bastard."

"Privet, my annoying German friend."

"Prussian."

"Prussia was not rebuilt when you were born."

"So fucking what? Now put down Roderich, you creep."

"Nyet. I rather like him. If you want him, you'd have to snatch him from me. You know this game, da?"

I'm right here, you assholes.

"I don't think we will be playing this 'game' of yours, Ivan."

Gilbert then grabbed me. He literally lifted me out of Ivan's arms, threw me over his shoulder, and sat me down at the table. Seriously, what the fuck. Am I a rag doll now? I swear, if I have to meet any more people...

"Hiya everybody! I-a got some pasta! We can cook it for a real big dinner tomorrow!"

"Hey Feliciano!"

Fuck.


	10. Chapter 10

**So, yeah, not much to say other than the fact that my itunes wish list is piling up way too high. Oh, and this chapter, excluding the author's note that I am currently writing, is exactly 2,000 words long! Hurray for that! I'm precise! Which has something to do with the next chapter, so... Odd coincidence? Maybe! Oh, and it's hinted at the end of this chapter, so yeah. Enjoy. I honestly have no idea why people like this, it was for my own personal pleasure, lol.**

* * *

Dinner was quite eventful. There was much chattering, but generally a lot of arguments being shouted between one another, such as Arthur calling Francis a "frog," and Alfred shouting "commie" at Ivan with a twisted expression. By the time Alfred led me to the sleeping quarters, which, by the way, he happily volunteered to do so, I was tired enough to plop onto the bed and conk out in a matter of seconds. It was a dreamless night, not that I minded, and I couldn't really describe the feeling that came over me when my eyes began slipping shut. It was not like I released stress, no, it stayed right where it was, but my problems, although I was very aware of them, did not bother me. Maybe I was in a state where I no longer gave a shit. Or maybe I just knew that they will go away, at some point. Either way, my sleep was peaceful.

The next morning, however, was shit.

I woke up, ears ringing in that annoying, ongoing, dog-whistle manner, the type that only you could hear, and I was way too freaking cold, considering the fact that I had kicked off the duvet and settled with hugging a pillow with both my arms and legs as a replacement for warmth. A very bad replacement. Yeah, I had to scold myself immediately for that, considering that I must have looked like an overgrown child, and anyone could have walked in on me like that. The door didn't have a lock. Oh, did I mention that my eyes were somehow so heavy that I was unable to open them for a ridiculously long amount of time, even though the rest of my body was fully awake? Yeah. I fucking hate the mornings.

When I finally managed to make the muscles in my eyes function, I stretched out of the bed and blinked slowly, taking in the room. I couldn't quite see it at night, considering this whole place was underground and there was no sunlight nor moonlight that could possibly light it, but now there were automatic lights blinking dimly overhead. They were the cheap ones, the lone lightbulbs that hang on a wire, and mine was apparently going to blink out any moment, but I didn't mind that much. I had surprisingly good night-vision. Of course, I can't see when it's totally pitch black, but even with a laser pointer, I would be able to fare very well at night.

There was a wardrobe next to the door, on it's left, looking very old, like it came from the Victorian era, and I took a long moment to take in it's beauty, despite the fact that it was, indeed, a wardrobe, not really an ancient artifact. On the other side of the door was a small, simple black coat hanger, next to a cabinet. On top of the cabinet laid a uniform that I could assume was meant for me to put on, and I walked up to it, running my hand over the material. It was soft, yet stretchy, and there were parts of it colored an extremely dark purple, which was different from the other uniforms I have seen. So far, I have seen shades of red, green, blue, and brown, but I have yet to see purple. I guess I can only assume that the colors represented something, as well as the shading.

I exited the room, seeing as there was nowhere in there to take a bath or shower, and I looked left and right, trying to remember what direction I had come from when following Alfred here. Now, my gut is usually right, like I said, but that's different when it came to direction. I sucked at that. So, when my gut told me to go right, I went left, and although I totally disobeyed my direction-retarded gut, I ended up lost fairly quickly.

"Oh, hey, rookie kid!"

I turned around, staring at the angry, molten Italian man from before. He began calling me "rookie kid" last night during dinner, when Gilbert was trying to come up with nicknames for me that I would approve. Mind you, I rejected every one.

"Hello to you as well, Lovino. Is there something you'd like?"

"Fuck no, you look like the lost bastard in this situation. Hell, did Hamburger Bastard even tell you which place was which and all that shit? Let me guess, he got so excited that he just fucking dragged you to your room?"

I also quickly came to realize, during dinner, that Lovino had an even bigger potty mouth than my mind did.

"Well, he didn't introduce me to any other rooms, and he was fairly fast, but I think this time it had to do with... something else."

"So you have a fucking shitty sense of direction?"

Wow. Nail on the head.

"The shower isn't that fucking far from here, rookie kid. Yeesh, guess I got to do Alfred's fucking job. Follow me, and don't fuck around and get lost again, or I'll find you and beat your fucking head in for being a stupid bastard, got it?"

"Yes, Lovino. I _definitely_ got it."

"Good, now follow me."

Is it wrong that I was surprised over the fact that he didn't curse?

Lovino led me to the men's bathroom, and I thanked him as he left. He simply gave a crude response, not that I really minded, I don't think he would easily break his cursing habit. I entered the bathroom and was greeted with a face full of steam, as well as a strange smell mixed with sweat and shampoo. There was movement and chatter inside, and I came to realize that it was one of those showers that everyone shares. Oh hell no.

"Ah! Rodrigo! Come in! There's plenty of room!"

"Privet, little doll."

"Russian bastard, his name is Roderich! Roderich, come to my side, where it's far away from that guy!"

Holy shit.

* * *

That was probably the worst experience of my life. I will never speak of it. Ever.

After the, um, shower, and after getting dressed into the uniform, Gilbert offered to lead me to where we were supposed to go, and I gratefully accepted, since I saw from the corner of my eye Ivan, staring at me creepily. I think he must think I'm his new toy or something, or maybe he just wants a friend, but either way I don't like it. And if he did want a friend, he was going the wrong way about it.

I was led to the same dinning table, where everyone was chattering and arguing. The smell of eggs and hash browns were a very pleasing scent to me in the morning, and I sat down next to Gilbert, Elizaveta on the other side. She had been staring at me ever since I walked into the room, a big and bright smile on her face. And the smile wasn't fake.

"Um..."

I shifted uncomfortably in the chair, a little panicked and unsure of what to say.

"Hello... there..."

"Hello!"

I jumped a bit, surprised by her very enthusiastic answer. Nope nope, definitely not going to start a conversation any time soon. I was not in the mood for such a one-sided and too peppy conversation.

Fredrick, who was sitting next to Maria, stood up, and everyone went silent, even Arthur and Alfred, who were arguing with each other so badly that it had been heard by everyone. Frederich coughed into his fist, getting ready to start a speech, I presume, and reached into his pocket. He took out a small metal, glowing orb, and he pressed a small button on the side of it. It opened up, revealing a diagram of a building, one I have never seen nor read about, and I noticed quickly that it was a skyscraper. That meant it was in a city, and there are not many cities around here. If there were, I would have ran there in a heartbeat.

"This is the tallest building in the city of Hamburg, which was built for military purposes just recently. Despite my high ranking, I was labelled unauthorized to enter the building, which is off, don't you agree?"

Everyone but me nodded in agreement, and I honestly did not even know anything about the rank system in the military. What rank was he? Maybe the building was strictly for scientists, or it was for building weapons, although that may be unlikely. The WG is not the most... violent. Not hungry for more mass destruction technology.

"If whatever is in the building is so special that even a high ranking military officer can not enter, then there is something fishy going on. We are going to penetrate the security and get a sneak peek at whatever they are conjuring up in there. I want my stealthiest agents on the job, so _no_, Elizaveta, you may not break any walls today."

Elizaveta groaned loudly, and I scooted further away.

"Ivan is far too... big, for this operation, so I'll send in Feliciano and Kiku. Feliciano, you are going to be guiding Kiku from outside the building."

"Good! I'd be scared of the big men in there!"

Ludwig was facepalming at that comment, so I guess it's safe to assume that Feliciano was a bit of a scaredy cat.

"Kiku, I'm sure you know what to do. If any trouble occurs, I want you to inform Feliciano. Feliciano, if you get his signal, that would mean to send another agent in. The agent I want you to send if any problem were to happen would be Ludwig, understand? _No one else_."

"Okie dokie!"

Yeah, I'm starting to understand Feliciano's character more and more now.

"As for the rest of us, I think we need to start training the new recruit. I want Gilbert to be the one on this task, as you two seem to be much more... _comfortable_ with each other than anyone else."

I heard snickering, which was weird, I have no idea why that was funny, but whatever.

"Anyways, let's dig in!"

"HELL YEAH!"

I looked at Gilbert, who started stuffing his cheeks, and I noticed that his ears were slightly red. Was he sick?

* * *

After a very great breakfast, me and Gilbert were heading to his part of the training room. It was red, matching the color of his uniform, and there was coal on one side of his section, as well as dumbbells and medicine balls. If training involves excessive working out, I don't think I'll be the best at that.

"So, we'll start on the basics. You lift?"

"No. Not at all. If you haven't guessed yet, I'm about as weak as a noodle."

I flexed my arm, as if to prove the point.

"Well then, Noodle, we'll start with channeling your power. Not everyone here is required to be muscly. Feliciano has none, although he runs very fast, and his usual job is to guide our stealth agents. You might be lucky enough to get a job like that."

"Yeah. Lucky. And never call me 'Noodle' again."

"I like it, so... Nah."

I glared, and he only chuckled.

"Quit pouting."

"I'm not pouting."

"Whatever you say, Noodle."

Gilbert took a chunk of coal and put it in the center of his section.

"Lesson for today! Controlling your power is important. You need to know you're limits, as well as exceeding them. It's also a good thing to be precise."

Gilbert got a tape measure.

"Use your shadows to lift that hunk of coal an inch off the ground. _Exactly_."

I think I have the general idea of where this scene is turning towards.


End file.
